Educating students on healthy habits from a young age

(WBNG) — Students of all ages are learning how to develop healthy habits from a young age.

Celebrating ‘Eat Smart Day’ at Johnson City Elementary School, dietetic intern Kameron Rowe told one fifth grade class about the importance of what goes into their bellies.

Malia Yarde explains what she learned, saying, “because it’s really healthy for your body and they’ll help you grow stronger.”

While it may seem a little early, a third of children and teens are overweight or obese, so Rowe’s team is getting ahead of the cycle.

“We really want to reach these kids early on to develop healthy habits early in life that they can keep all through life and be a healthy adult as well,” said team member and Communications Director of the American Heart Association, Kristy Smorol.

It’s a lesson fellow student Brady took to heart.

“I think I’m going to eat less sweets and more fruits and vegetables,” he said.

A few grades above at Binghamton University’s Healthy Campus Summit, Dr. Jennifer Wegmann spoke to students about taking a different look at stress.

“A stressful life is a meaningful life and the reason that we have stress in our lives is because we get stressed about things we care about,” she explained.

Stress is a major issue for students in their college years, with lots of difficult transitions.

Attending the stress lecture, senior Anastasia Tsolis is getting ready for the move out of college as we speak.

“Just having someone like a professional say that to me makes me feel a lot better about how stressful this environment can be and how it’s affecting all of us,” said Tsolis.

“At the end of the day we want students to come through their four years and we want them to leave healthier and more productive and happier,” said Wegmann.